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Posted: Jun 29, 2012

UMC Aligns With IBM on 20nm Process With FinFET 3D Transistors

(Nanowerk News) United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC), a leading global semiconductor foundry, today announced that it has licensed IBM technology to expedite the development of the foundry's next generation 20nm CMOS process with FinFET 3D transistors. Under the terms of the agreement, IBM will license its 20nm process design kit and FinFET technology to UMC so the foundry can use these technologies in order to accelerate the availability of these processes for UMC customers.

Dr. IC Chen, vice president of Advanced Technology Development at UMC, said, "We are happy to engage with a recognized technology leader such as IBM for this technology advancement effort. UMC's position as a world-leading foundry involves timely introduction of leading-edge processes to enable next generation customer chip designs. Leveraging IBM's technology expertise to shorten our 20nm and FinFET R&D cycle will create a win-win situation for UMC and our customers."

This agreement between UMC and IBM is only inclusive of IBM's 20nm CMOS and FinFET. UMC's internally developed 20nm planar process will be aligned to IBM's design rules and process/device targets, while UMC's FinFET will be offered as a low-power technology enhancement option for mobile computing and communication products. Implementation will take place at the company's Tainan, Taiwan R&D site.

About UMC

UMC is a leading global semiconductor foundry that provides advanced technology and manufacturing services for applications spanning every major sector of the IC industry. UMC's customer-driven foundry solutions allow chip designers to leverage the strength of the company's leading-edge processes, which include production proven 65nm, 45/40nm, mixed signal/RFCMOS, and a wide range of specialty technologies. Production is supported through 10 wafer manufacturing facilities that include two advanced 300mm fabs; Fab 12A in Taiwan and Singapore-based Fab 12i are both in volume production for a variety of customer products. The company employs approximately 14,000 people worldwide and has offices in Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, Europe, and the United States. UMC can be found on the web at http://www.umc.com.

Source: UMC (press release)

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